


One day you'll love me again- happy again 'til the end.

by Grigoriweasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Love, Love Confessions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27041461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grigoriweasley/pseuds/Grigoriweasley
Summary: Ron and Hermione were childhood friends but after high school they'd fallen apart. One day, Hermione knocks at Ron's door with some unexpected news. Will the old friendship be restored or will this be the start of something new?
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 20
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I've missed writing about these two so here I am with a new story. It's gonna be quite different form the others, as it's gonna be at least 7/8 chapters long, so I hope that you'll like it all the same! It's written by Ron's POV and I'll try to post every 3/4 days, so next update should be around Monday or Tuesday. Please feel free to tell me what you think: comments, some advice, opinons, everything you want! I always love reading what you think. Thank you for reading!

PROLOGUE:

Ron and Hermione are childhood friends and have been to the same high school. Ron caught feelings for her during their last year, but he was always too shy to tell her. Moreover, she had always fancied the high school beau, Marcus, with whom Ron knew he could never compete. Therefore, he had decided to take her out of his mind and had started dating Annette, some classmate of theirs who had always been in love with him. 

Five years after their graduation: Ron and Annette were still together, even though their relationship had its up and downs, and lived in a small house in the outskirts of town. Hermione, instead, had finally started dating Marcus the year before and now she lived with him in his enormous villa in the most glamorous neighbourhood of the place. Ron and Hermione had quite fallen apart after high school: Ron’s feelings had grown too deep and so he had started to ignore her and find excuses not talk to her, until she got so angry that she decided to call it quits on their friendship. 

Needless to say, from that moment on life had been quite miserable for the boy: not only he had had to bury his love for her, he’d also lost one of his best friends. His other best friend, Harry, lived in another country with his girlfriend Ginny, who was also Ron’s little sister: they obviously knew about Ron’s feelings for Hermione, but he’d always begged them not to reveal anything to her. 

One day, Hermione comes at his door with some unexpected news: old feelings resurface and new ones get in the way, making things a little more complicated for the two once best friends. Will they restore their friendship? Or will this be the start of something completely new? 

CHAPTER ONE: 

Ron got home earlier than usual. It was a Friday night and the supermarket where he worked had closed an hour before ‘cause the next day it was the owner’s wedding and, quote, “he needed time to have his beauty rest”. 

Ron’s boss was a selfish, pompous, mean guy who didn’t give a damn about his workers and didn’t pay them enough for all the extra work he forced them to do. Ron despised him, but he hadn’t found anything better in the neighbourhood where he lived; in addition, Annette did not have a job at all so really it was all that they had at the moment. Moreover, all of his co-workers were extremely rude and always made him do the most work. He had tried to complain, at the beginning, and confronted them about it, but he’d been ignored and told to go to hell so, after a several number of times, he’d just given up. “One day, you’re all gonna work for me and then I’ll make you pay for what you’re doing now”: these were the words that everyday he told himself just to keep going. 

Things at home weren’t so much better: he and his girlfriend barely talked to each other and their physical encounters were not so frequent. 

In other words, he and Anette had almost stopped making love… In the last three months, they had only made it once: it had been silent and quick, with no emotion whatsoever on Ron’s part. He felt extremely guilty about it: he knew she deserved much better than him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to feel something for her different than a friendship. She was kind, smart and also quite pretty; several guys had fancied her during high school but she’d never given them any chance. 

Annette was aware that her boyfriend had stopped loving her; in fact, she realized that he had never loved her at all. But he still was nice to her and she was too in love with him to let him go; so she’d rather unhappy at his side than letting him go. 

“Came back early ‘cause tomorrow’s the big day for the old rat” greeted Ron as soon as he entered the door; she just nodded and smiled. 

They sat down at the table and ate the dinner she had cooked, then settled on their too small sofa to watch their even smaller TV. 

“You really should quit this awful job” whispered Annette after a while. Ron looked at her as if she had just grown a second head: she usually never voiced her opinions about that particular subject ‘cause she knew that it bothered him a lot. 

He sighed deeply and replied: “You know I can’t. I work ten hours a day six days per week and still we can barely afford the most necessary things. Imagine in what situation we’d be if I didn’t work at all.” 

“You’re right, but working there has made you miserable. You’re always complaining about your boss and your colleagues… You don’t have to keep working there if you hate it. We can find something else” 

“No we can’t, Annette. Have you seen where we live? That awful supermarket is actually the best thing I could find in this neighbourhood; if I leave, we’re broke.” 

Annette looked away while she said:” We could always ask my parents for money”. 

Ron looked at her fiercely. “Absolutely not.” 

He’d met her parents about a year earlier and the encounter had not been one of the best kinds. They were rich, almost too much, and they flaunted it in a way that had made Ron hate them as soon as he saw them. But they didn’t like the fact that their daughter was dating the son of two teachers… He wasn’t “good enough” (read “rich enough”) for their precious Annette. So they refused to give them any money and Annette and Ron were compelled to live with Ron’s salary. 

“They’ve always treated me as if I was a nobody just because money doesn’t fall from my ass like it does from theirs. I’m sorry if I’m offending you by saying this, but it’s what I think. And you know I’m right. Plus, my parents raised me in a totally different way and if they were still alive, they’d tell me that I’m doing the right thing.” 

“I didn’t wanna upset you, Ron” said the girl in a quiet voice, “it’s just that I see how unhappy you are and it makes me sad. And I’m also worried… about you.” 

She stopped for a second. Then continued: “About us.” 

At these words, Ron got very defensive and asked her: “Why are you worried? We’re completely fine.” 

“Are we, really? Because it seems to me that you barely see me at all anymore…” 

“Oh shit” thought Ron, she was about to start a fight. He really wasn’t in the mood for that. 

“Listen, Annette” he started to say, “I really don’t understand where all of this is coming from. I’m sorry if I lashed out at you and your parents, I’m just a bit nervous. Everything’s fine.” 

He gave her an unconvincing smile and she returned it, sighing deeply and getting up from the couch to go to bed. 

“Are you coming?” she asked him. 

“Not yet, I just wanna watch a little more-“ He was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. 

They both looked at each other curiously. 

“Who the hell comes here at 10 p.m.?” said Annette. 

“Who the hell comes here, period” replied Ron. 

She shrugged and he went to open the door. 

What he saw left him speechless for some minutes: crying and trembling, with her face wet with tears and her eyes puffy and red, was his only love and once best friend, Hermione Granger. 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Ron was standing there, without moving, blinking his eyes continually and with his mouth agape.

He was sure his brain was pulling a trick on him: he was tired, he was mad at his boss and he’d just been fighting with Annette, so clearly his mind had stopped working properly and was now giving him hallucinations. He turned his face towards Annette but her eyes were directed past him, staring at the trembling figure who was now standing in front of their door. 

So this was real. 

Crap. 

He didn’t know how to react: his heart had started beating faster at the sight of his friend, but at the same time it felt awkward and weird even looking at her, as if they were two strangers who have nothing in common anymore. 

Annette was the one who solved this uncomfortable silence. 

She cleared her throat, put on a nice smile (which Ron could swear was not utterly authentic), and welcomed Hermione into their home. They all sat down on the couch and looked at each other, not knowing exactly how to start a conversation. Hermione had not stopped shivering and kept her eyes fixed on the ground, not saying a word.

Once again, Annette spoke first. “I’m gonna go in the kitchen and make you a good cup of tea, Hermione. You stay there and if you need anything, you can tell Ron.” 

Her voice was high-pitched and sweet, almost too much. It was clear enough to Ron that the other girl’s presence was bothering his girlfriend a lot, but he wasn’t sure why. He’d never talked to her about his feelings for Hermione, even though Annette had asked him several times why they weren’t best friends anymore. He had always swept off the question, by changing the subject of their conversation or getting defensive and begging his girlfriend to stop bothering him. Maybe she had understood something just now? He knew that his reaction at the sight of Hermione had been…unusual, to say the least. But he would have to deal with that later. 

Ron looked again towards Hermione: he wanted to just disappear into the ground and never come up again. He was still hurt about how their friendship had ended, but seeing her so vulnerable and lonely… His heart broke for her. 

He came closer to her and tentatively put an arm around her shoulder, in an attempt to ease whatever pain she was feeling. She immediately leant in at his touch and hugged him tight, making their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” he whispered, stroking her hair. 

No matter how angry or hurt he was; no matter how much time had passed since the last time they'd talked, her weel-being was always the most important thing to him. He wasn’t capable of being too hard on her.

She pulled back from the hug and wiped her eyes; sighing, she said one sole word: “Marcus”. 

Ron felt his blood boiling in his veins. He knew it, he’d always know that that jerk wasn’t good enough for Hermione. Sure, he got good grades and was captain of the lacrosse team, and everybody loved him ‘cause he gave great parties and his father was rich, but Ron had never seen the appeal. 

Maybe he was biased, of course, ‘cause his jealousy was speaking on his behalf; but he’d always thought that Hermione deserved a lot better. She was smart, independent, brave, generous and hard-working: she had always been top of the class and she was always up front when it came to standing up for her friends. That’s why she, Ron and Harry had become the best of friends almost immediately: they were all similar and their beliefs were the same. Their friendship had begun in their first year and had grown stronger and stronger with the passing of time; but then love had come in the way and made things harder for everyone. 

With him and Hermione fighting and Harry and Ginny going away after their graduation, Ron had felt completely alone. 

For the last five years, he had tried to get used to this new life: a life where his girlfriend was Annette and not Hermione, where his job sucked and where his best friend, whom was like a brother to him, lived far away from his reach. He obviously didn’t like living this way, but he had stopped hoping for something better. 

What he never would have hoped for was Hermione to come back to him, distraught because the boy who he despised so much had broken her heart. 

He tried to regain composure and asked her: “What’s the matter with him? Did he hurt you?” 

He really, really hoped that it wasn’t the case, because in the name of God he was ready to find that Marcus and beat the hell out of him. 

Luckily, she denied: “Oh no, of course not.” 

He gave a great sigh of relief. 

“We had a huge fight some hours ago, like we often do, but this time it was different. He didn’t even let me explain. He just broke up with me and walked out. But first he yelled at me that I’m not welcome into his house anymore and that from tonight I should look for another place to live. He also called me names-” Ron felt himself getting even angrier at these words, he opened his mouth, ready to insult that prick “-but I would like not to talk about that right now.” 

He didn’t understand. He was about to ask her what they were fighting about and why it was different this time, but as soon as he started speaking Anette came back into the room with Hermione’s tea. 

Hermione suddenly put on her eyes on the ground and Ron sensed that maybe she was not comfortable talking about her private issues when Annette was around. 

So he said to his girlfriend: “Annette, darling, why don’t you go to bed? It’s getting late and you must be tired. I’ll take care of her”. 

He had pronounced these last words without giving it much thought, but to Annette it was as if they possessed a deeper meaning. As if he was telling her that his first priority was always gonna be Hermione, and not her. 

So she stood up and simply nodded at him, going to bed without even saying goodnight. Ron knew she was mad at him and that later he should have probably apologized to her, but right now he didn’t want to deal with it. 

He kept his mind focused on Hermione and finally asked what her fight with Marcus was about; she hesitated for some moments, as if she didn’t want to answer. 

And later, when she did answer, he found himself hoping that he’d never asked. 

“He left because I’m pregnant”. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I'm back with the second chapter! Hope you'll like it and thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

No. That was not possible.

She must have been joking… Because, really, how could it have happened? 

His head was about to explode. He tried not to look too heartbroken at the thought of Hermione having a baby and starting a family with someone different than him; he cleared his throat and asked her, hoping to sound less accusatory than he was feeling: “Are you sure?” 

She looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure” was her answer; “I’ve been feeling nauseous lately and I didn’t get my period last month. Plus, I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it confirmed my suspicions.” 

Ron breathed slowly. Well, that hurt. A lot. 

“And that is why…” He didn’t want to say it out loud lest he should hurt her even more, but she cut him off immediately and said sternly: “This is why he left. He told me he wants nothing to do with the baby, that he’s too young to become a father and that I should’ve been more careful.” 

“What a jerk! As if you got pregnant on your own… What, does he think you’re Virgin Mary or what?” he exclaimed. 

She smiled a little at his words, making Ron’s heart flip in his chest. 

He smiled back at her and tried to find the right words to lessen her pain. “It’s okay” he said at last; “I know you’re sad and scared but I’m gonna help you as best as I can.” 

“Really? Would you do this for me?” she sounded surprised, but happy. 

“I’d do anything for you”-that’s what he wanted to answer; but he settled for a simpler “Of course.” 

She breathed out a sigh of relief, tears coming out of her eyes again. 

“Why are you crying again?” he questioned, afraid that he’d said something wrong.

“It’s just… With all that has happened between us… Our friendship, I mean… We haven’t seen or heard each other in like, five years, so I wasn’t sure you were gonna help me. I was afraid you were still too angry to talk to me.” 

“I’m not angry with you” he said softly- and it was the truth, more or less: he was hurt ‘cause she had ended their friendship, but it had been his fault after all so he had no right to be mad at her. “Even if we have taken different paths, I still care about you”- her eyes sparkled at the sound of that-“and about Harry of course” he added almost immediately, panicking a little, “because you two have been my best friends for such a long time. You can always count on me” he reassured her. 

She stared at him for a while, making him almost uncomfortable so strong and intense was her gaze; then she whispered, “I missed you”. 

Oh, God. He definitely wasn’t expecting that. If his stupid heart could stop jumping up and down his chest now, that would be great. 

He smiled at her and said: “Missed you too”, trying to keep it together. “C’mon, let’s get you some sleep now” he stated, “you must be so tired”. 

He offered her to sleep on the couch, ‘cause the house was very small and they didn’t have a guest room; and, of course, the only bed they possessed was now occupied by Annette who surely wouldn’t be so pleased to wake up next to the girl with whom his boyfriend seemed to have quite an ambiguous relationship. He gave Hermione an old blanket (feeling a bit ashamed of his lack of a better accommodation) and left the room without looking back at her, feeling that if did he would’ve stayed there and spent the night watching her sleep. 

Ron then joined Annette in their bedroom, doing as little noise as he could not to wake her up. 

But she was not sleeping. He saw her, curled up on the bed with her arms around her legs and her eyes vacant, looking at some abstract point in the distance. 

“She’s downstairs, sleeping on the couch” he told her, not knowing exactly what answer he was expecting. 

Annette turned her face towards him; “Okay” was all she said. 

He closed his eyes and turned off the light, even though he was sure Annette had left something unsaid… After some minutes, he opened up his eyes again and asked: “What’s wrong, Annette?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, Ron, am I? It’s only that the girl you’ve always been in love with is sleeping on the couch in our house, so close to you, meanwhile I’m sleeping by your side and I feel like I’m living far away, in another part of the world! Your eyes were shining as soon as you saw her enter that door… How do you think that’s supposed to make me feel?” “

She was crying quietly. 

….I’m sorry, Annette… But she’s my friend, you know and_” 

“No, Ron” said she bitterly. “She’s not just a friend for you. You never told me anything, but I was in high school with you and I saw the way you used to look at her. I’m not blind, you know. I noticed the love and longing in your eyes five years ago and I noticed them two hours ago when she knocked at our door. I’ve always known you don’t love me and I never expected you to; but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.” 

Ron let her talk, without even trying to fire back: he was aware she was right. He avoided her eyes, that were now penetrating him with a strength and an ardour that he’d never seen in her before. She seemed to him completely transformed, as if all the rage and the pain that he had instilled in her had rendered her a different person, who had no intention to hold back their thoughts and was now poring out all the feelings that her heart had meticulously hidden during the years. 

He sighed deeply, taking his head into his arms. 

It was going to be a very long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with the third chapter! as always, I hope you like it and thanks for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ron woke up with alone in the bedroom, with a heavy headache, feeling dizzy. The fight with Annette last night had left him exhausted, without any strength.

She had kept on rambling for another half an hour or so, going on and on about the lack of balance in their relationship: she confessed to have poured her heart out into loving him and scolded him for not trying, or at least pretending, to do the same.

‘Cause Ron wouldn’t even fake it. He was always kind to Annette and he cared about her, in some way; somedays he would even enjoy her company while watching TV after a day at work , or when she cooked his favourite meals for his birthday. It was nice, but nothing more. He’d never said or made something that could bring her to think he was in love with her, but still he didn’t wanna completely lose her ‘cause he knew he’d been lucky with her and he’d probably wouldn’t find anyone else who’d love him this way.

(Yes, he knew he was acting like an asshole, thank you very much). 

His head fell back on the pillow and he closed his eyes, trying not to think about everything that had happened in the last few hours. He felt himself explode with feelings that even he could not exactly describe. 

He got up and went downstairs in the kitchen, which he found empty: Annette wasn’t there, and he immediately sensed that she had left. 

That had never happened before: sure, she went out from time to time to buy groceries but she always left a little note to him and most of the time it was Ron who brought everything they needed from the supermarket when his shift was over. He always limited himself to buy only the most necessary stuff, since that monster boss of his made his employees pay double if they wanted to get something from the store for their own use. “It’s only fair that you pay me a double amount”, he used to say, “’cause I gave you this job so you owe me; without me you’d all be begging in the streets”. Ron had never met anyone more disgusting. 

He wondered round the kitchen for some minutes, debating inside his head whether he should go search for Anette and apologize to her or he simply should let her have her space and decide on her own when she wanted to come back.

He then settled for the latter. He was quite sure Annette wouldn’t be so happy to see him right now and he too could use some time in order to clear his mind. 

He approached the couch, wanting to watch something on tv while he made breakfast (a piece of toast and a glass of milk), and then he almost jumped up for the scare. For a moment, he’d forgotten that his once best friend was in his house. Hermione was still sleeping there, her body curled up under the old blanket and her brows furrowed, like some bad thought was bothering her even in her dreams. He stood still for some moments, contemplating her image: her hair, her eyes, her nose, even the littlest detail of hers seemed to him the finest work of art.

He really was gone for her. How he could’ve thought that he would’ve been able to forget her, he couldn’t explain to himself. It was very clear now (and it had always been) that in no way would he have stopped thinking about her. Ever. He felt his heart ache at the thought of how much she must have been suffering lately. Being pregnant alone must have been scary enough and facing everything on her own was still more terrible… Poor Hermione. She seemed so little, so fragile and lonely right now. 

He felt lonely too. 

Of course they’d never talked about it, but Harry moving away had been a hard reality for both Ron and Hermione; Harry was like a brother to them, he always supported them fully and always knew the right words to say. 

Suddenly, he wondered if his friend knew. He was aware that he and Hermione talked on the phone constantly; Harry had told him during one of the many calls in which they ended up talking about her. He asked himself if he had been the first, after Marcus, to know about Hermione’s pregnancy. The thought gave him a strange sparkle of joy. 

He gave one last look at the girl who was sleeping on his couch and went back into the kitchen, where his phone was. He decided to call Harry: he missed his best friend and he really could have used some advice from him. Harry had always been great with advice. 

His best friend answered immediately; Ron thought that Harry had been missing him too. “Hey, look who called! Long time no hear, huh?” said Harry on the phone.

“I literally called you last week and we stayed on the phone for like two hours, man” was Ron’s sarcastic reply. 

“I know, I just like messing with you.”

“Asshole” 

“Hey, watch it, Ron!” laughed his best friend. Ron felt calm and relaxed for the first time in those last hours: Harry’s soothing voice was a blessing to his ears and especially to his heart. It really sucked that he and Ginny lived so far away now; if they’d been here, they’d probably would’ve helped Ron more easily. 

“Soo, how are you? And Ginny? How’s she?” 

“Don’t worry for your little sister, bro, she’s fine like always. I’m always by her side to protect her so she’s safe.” 

Ron laughed and said: “Sorry to disappoint you, man, maybe it’s the other way round. You know my sister’s a badass, she doesn’t take no shit from anyone.” 

Harry laughed too. “Yeah” he replied, “That’s why she always flips me off when I offer to protect her. I only do it for fun, I love taking the piss out of her”. 

“Well, it’s clear that you love making people mad” stated Ron. 

“Yeah, you bet” laughed his best friend. Ron was really happy. He missed Harry so much and talking and laughing on the phone, like they were doing right now, was a relief for him; it reminded him of the good times, when his best friend still lived in the same town as him and they spent entire afternoons together. 

“So, all jokes aside” started Harry –“Is everything ok? Is there a particular reason that you called?” 

“Why do you ask?” 

“Because your voice is weird..I don’t know, you seem kinda off. Is there another problem with Annette?” Ron smiled: Harry knew him so well, he’d immediately understood that something wasn’t right. He decided to confess everything. 

“Actually, you’re right. It’s not about Annette, though…Well, kinda. I mean, she is part of the problem but she’s not the main reason” 

“Ron, I don’t get it” said his best friend, “You’re rambling!”

Ron took a deep breath. Then he said: “It’s about Hermione. She’s here, sleeping on my couch.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fourth chapter, hope you like it!


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

The line had fell silent. Then Harry said, stifling a laugh: “Well, it seems I’ve definitely missed something here.”

“It’s definitely not what you think” replied Ron, with sarcasm in his voice. Though his sarcasm hid a sense of longing and sadness. How he wished that it really was what Harry was thinking… But the situation was far more complicated.

And hurtful. 

“Okay, then, tell me everything. From the start.” 

Ron told his best friend what had happened; the way Hermione had knocked at his door the night before completely distraught and wretched, the way Annette had reacted by starting a fight and then going away, the way he was feeling more confused and guilty than ever. 

“Shit. It definitely is not what I was thinking. Now breathe” was the first thing his best friend told him. “Try and calm down, alright? It’s going to be fine, just try and relax a bit now.” 

Ron was so grateful for Harry’s presence. Without him, he would have felt even more lost. “What do I do now?” he asked desperately. “Of course I want to help her but I’m scared that my feelings will get in the way….She knows nothing about how I feel and I’d like for it to stay this way.” 

Harry sighed. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure, Harry! What would you suggest, that I tell her I’ve been in love with her for years now? That I’m only dating Annette because I’m desperately trying to get over her? That it’s all been useless ‘cause I still want only her? Yeah, I don’t think it’s a great idea.” 

“Calm down, will you?” repeated Harry. “I know how you feel. I’m only suggesting that maybe…I don’t know, you could try and talk to her. She and Marcus broke up and I know you don’t love Annette so maybe it would be worth giving it a go?”

“Harry, that’s not so easy! You’re right about Annette but I just cannot break up with her all of a sudden. It wouldn’t be fair. Moreover, Hermione’s about to have a baby with another man!”

“A man who left her alone as soon as he found out she was pregnant! You and I both know he’s an asshole and that he’ll never get back with her. It was always just fun for him and honestly I don’t get why Hermione liked him so much.”

“Well, he was popular and good at school and now he lives in a damn mansion! If you look at me, instead…” Ron couldn’t help but feel ashamed if he compared himself to that Marcus. That guy had money, an enormous house with every sort of comfort, a girl who (unfortunately for her) loved him…and what did he have? Nothing. A shit job and a shit house. No wonder why Hermione had chosen Marcus over him. 

He told all these things to Harry, who sighed again. “Ron” he said firmly, “don’t you dare put yourself down like that. So Marcus has the money and the big house but you know what? All of his fortune comes from others, not from himself. His family is one of the richest in town so it’s easy for him to have a nice car and parade around like he’s a big hit. Nothing that he owns comes from his sacrifice or hard work. Everything’s always been given to him. Look at you instead: you’ve always worked hard, every day of your life.” 

“Yeah but what did I get, Harry?” 

“Well, you’ve got your own job-“

“-that pays me nothing and where everybody treats me like shit-“ 

“-still, you go there because you know you have to if you wanna pay your bills. You know everything about sacrifice, about taking responsibility for your actions, about being independent: these are things that Marcus doesn’t even know the existence of. If one day his parents were to lose everything or to stop giving him money, he’d be in the streets ‘cause he isn’t even capable of looking for a job, let alone finding one. He’s no better than you. In fact, I can safely say that it’s the other way round: you are better than him. So trust me, between you and him, I’d definitely choose you.” 

Ron felt the tears starting to form in his eyes. Harry’s words really had gone straight to the point: when he was younger, he’d always felt insecure and inferior compared to the other boys his age and even now, that he was nearly 25 those feelings hadn’t gone completely away. He hated feeling like this but he couldn’t help it. And now, hearing what his best friend had just said to him; hearing in Harry’s words and voice the admiration and pride he felt for him, really made him want to cry. 

He sighed and then joked: “Thanks, man, but you’re not really my type.” They both laughed. 

“Seriously, though” Harry said, “don’t talk about yourself in that way. You don’t deserve it. You are a great man, Ronald Weasley, don’t forget it. Ever.” 

“Thanks, Harry. I love you.” 

“Love you too, man” replied his best friend. 

Ron then heard a muffled sound, coming from the other room. At first he didn’t understand what it was. It seemed like a whisper, quiet and trembling. Then he heard it again, this time more clearly.

“Ron?” 

It came from the kitchen: Hermione had just woken up. He went into the kitchen and got closer to the couch where she was, greeting her with a sweet: “Good morning.” 

“Morning” was the quiet answer. 

“How are you feeling today? Did you sleep well?”

“No, not really-“ 

“I’m so sorry, Hermione, it’s just that we don’t have a guest room and of course I wouldn’t have made you sleep on the bed together with my girlfriend ‘cause you barely know her and it would have been weird. But now that I think about it maybe I should have given yoy the bed because you were tired and hurt and you’re pregnant and this couch sucks and-“ Hermione’s laugh interrupted his rambling. 

He stopped talking, growing red with embarrassment. “Sorry if I laughed” she said, still smiling widely, “but you were blabbering about and I barely understood anything you said!” 

“Sorry”

“Don’t be. It’s okay. Actually, it’s more thank okay. I really needed a good laugh so thank you.” 

A small, timid smile appeared on his lips. “And the reason why I slept bad has nothing to do with your couch.” She sighed. “It’s Marcus, he haunts me even in my sleep.” 

“Well, I always thought he was some sort of demon so now it’s confirmed.” Another small laugh escaped from Hermione’s lips, and Ron felt his heart do a flip in his chest. He loved her laugh, and most of all he loved being the one who caused it. 

“I had a dream about him- a nightmare, really. He told me that I was just a stupid girl, that I had fell into this trap and that I was gonna be alone for the rest of my life…I know now that it was only a dream, but his words seemed so real…It really upset me.” 

“I’m so sorry Herm” he said, without realizing that he’d called her with her old nickname. 

“It’s okay, Ronald, I actually feel better now that I'm talking to you-“ and then she suddenly stopped, a weird expression on her face. 

He suddenly forgot about Marucs and started to worry. “Hermione, what’s wrong?” 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she whispered. 

“Yeah, of course. It’s right there, the door on the left. Is everything okay? Are you not feeling well? Do you need to throw up or-“ 

“I just have to go to the bathroom. Please.”

“Okay, sorry. Call me if you need anything.” “

Yeah”. She disappeared for some minutes and then she came back, crying. Again. Why was she always crying? He immediately got close to her and started to caress her shoulders with his hands. She was frowning, looking both sad and confused. 

"Surely it's not usual pregnancy nausea otherwise she wouldn't be this upset, she'd know it's pretty common" he thought. 

Unfortunately, he was right. 

For she looked at him and murmured: “I just got my period.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with chapter five! ps. sorry if it's a bit longer than the other chapters but I wanted to explore a little the realtionship between Ron and Harry, as it's one of the things I love the most about the HP saga. hope you like it and as always, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Okay, he was not expecting that. What did it mean? How was it possible? He was starstruck, not knowing what to say or what to do in order to help her.

“I don’t know how it’s possible” she tried to say. “There surely must be some problem, ‘cause you don’t get your period when you’re pregnant. This, I know for sure…Oh Ron, I’m so scared.” She kept on crying, while he continued to remain silent. 

Some minutes passed, then he timidly tried to say something. “Why don’t we go to the doctor?” he suggested. “Surely she’ll know more about it than we do” 

“I don’t know, Ron.” There were some moments of silence. “I’m so terrified I cannot move” 

“Oh, Hermione…” 

“What if I lost the baby? What if I wasn’t careful enough and caused it some damage? The dream I had last night was prophetic, Marcus knew that I was gonna lose the baby because I’m so stupid!” She was completely out of her mind now, talking nonsense and crying.

“Hey, hey, look at me” he whispered. Then he gave her a sweet smile. “it’s gonna be alright. Okay? Trust me. The doctor’s gonna explain everything and I’ll be with you the whole time. Got it?” She just nodded and wiped away the tears from her eyes. 

The car ride was silent. Hermione had stopped crying, but she spent all the time looking out of the window saying nothing, and Ron didn’t talk either. He didn’t know what to say: he was scared that any word would make her fall apart again. 

The doctor had been so nice to them: a woman in her forties, very amiable and efficient, had reassured Hermione first thing. “Don’t worry, darling, we’re gonna find out what happened and you’ll be alright. Okay?” She asked Hermione how she’d found out she was pregnant, how long ago it was, how she’d been feeling.

“It’s only been a month…I didn’t get my period and I was feeling nauseous, plus I’d had an unprotected…encounter some days before so I figured out. Then I took a test and it confirmed my suspicions.” 

“Okay, let’s see…I think we’ll have to do some more exams, just to be sure. How many tests did you take?” 

“Only one”

“And when did you take it? In the morning, in the afternoon?” 

“In the evening…but what does it matter?” Hermione was starting to get nervous again, so Ron took her hand in order to make her relax a little. 

“It does matter, because some tests are not completely reliable if you take them in the evening. To be a 100% sure, you have to take the test in the morning and then take at least another one after some days. Did you do that?” 

“No” Hermione whispered. 

“Just as I suspected. Let’s do those exams.” The exams had confirmed the doctor’s theory: Hermione was not pregnant. 

She’d never been. 

“How is it possible?” she asked, sounding very confused at the news. “Why did I miss my period? Why the nausea?” 

“Have you been stressed lately?” 

“Well, yes, a lot. Every day I fought with my boyfriend and I’d also had a fight with my parents recently but-“ 

“That’s it, then. Too much stress can cause the absence of your period. And it can also cause nausea and tiredness.” 

So that was it? She was not pregnant. She was not going to have a baby with that Marcus.

Ron felt relieved, feeling a sense of guilt right after. Surely Hermione was devastated so he had to be there for her now. He could celebrate later. 

They came back to Ron’s house, still no sign of Annette. He started to slightly worry; they’d been gone for almost three hours and she still hadn’t come back. But he, again, put aside Annette and put his focus on Hermione.

She didn’t seem too shocked or upset: she’d been weirdly silent in the car. 

“So I’m not pregnant.” She said, after a long awkward silence.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“You know what, it’s…weird. I don’t know how I’m feeling. I mean, this morning, the thought of having lost the baby was killing me but now that I know there is no baby, I almost feel..I don’t know…relieved? I know I’m supposed to be sad but I’m actually kinda glad that I’m not pregnant…does that make me a monster?”

“What? No. it does not make you a monster. At all. You don’t have to be ashamed of how you’re feeling…No one can even imagine the hell you’ve been going through this month so you’re allowed to feel any motion you want.” 

She jumped forward, hugging him. He hugged her back, feeling at peace with himself and with the rest of the world. Now more than ever he knew that his place was in Hermione’s arms, but he was also aware that the reality was gonna be so different from his dreams. Hermione didn't need him any more now, so she was free to go away and maybe start a new life with someone new, while he was destined to stay in that rat hole and be unhappy for the rest of his life with Annette. 

But it was okay, he’d always known it had to be like that. 

Plus, if Hermione was gonna stay with him just as a thank you because he’d helped her, he’d rather she went away. And maybe, if she left, he was gonna be able to put his feelings in a tiny corner of his heart and let them say there, without causing trouble. 

But the trouble, for him, was just around the corner.

As soon as he and Hermione pulled out of their hug, he noticed that a piece of paper was on the table. he got close and figured it was a letter: Annette had written it.

“I’m leaving, for good. I know you don’t love me, you never did so it’s not right for us to keep on doing this. I hope you find some happiness and I hope I do, too. Please don’t look for me and don’t call me, it’ll only make things worse. Maybe in ten years’ time we’ll see each other again, but for now, goodbye Ron.” 

He was aware he deserved it. 

“What happened, Ron?” she asked. 

“Annette’s gone, for good” he said. She didn’t reply. He went on: “You know what, it’s okay. Things were not good between us and she deserves someone better than me. Only, I’d rather have talked to her, have a mature conversation, instead of ignoring her needs and made her walk away…I behaved like an asshole.” 

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised” she replied, a little bitterly. 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about. You said it yourself, you started ignoring her and she left. Just like it happened with me.” 

“Okay, first of all, the situation is completely different…You and Annette are different.” He paused for a moment, then he continued: “And I wasn’t an asshole with you.” 

(Yes he was, and he knew it well.)

“I just didn’t like Marcus, as I told you before…And frankly, I don’t understand why you liked him.” That was it, he probably was gonna start another fight but he didn’t care; he had to figure out what was in that jerk that made her stay with him for five years. 

“What do you mean? I liked him, that’s it!” 

“Yeah, but why?” “What do you mean why? He was nice and smart and I wanted to give him a chance so I did it.” 

“Oh, come on. When we were kids, you always despised people like him, as much as Harry and I did. And then suddednly, we go to high school and you fall for someone who’s exactly the type of person we criticized before? I don’t get it.”

“There’s nothing to get, Ronald, people change their mind.” 

p>“Not about people like Marcus! You and I both know that you can do so much better than that.” 

( “Like me, for example” he wanted to say, but thankfully avoided to do so.) She sighed and looked the other way, as if she was hiding something that she didn’t wanna confess. 

“Hermione” he called her. “Is there something I don’t know?”

“No-“ 

“Herm.”

“Okay…The reason why I stayed with him all these years is because… I had to.” 

“What do you m-“

“I had to stay with him otherwise he would’ve blackmailed me.” She sighed deeply. “He’s got some… private pictures of me. I asked him to delete them and he said that he would have done so only if I agreed to date him. Of course I accepted and of course he never deleted the pics. Said if I ever broke up with, he would send them to all our high school mates.” She pronounced these last words very quietly, almost whispering: her face was red and her eyes were directed towards the ground. 

Ron was startled. “What…what kind of pictures?” he asked dumbly, already knowing the obvious answer. 

She lifted her head up and looked at him without talking, confirming his suspicions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so late today! Anyways thanks for reading and I hope you like the chapter. Happy Halloween!


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Okay” he declared. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna help you with this as well.”

He felt his head spinning and his blood boiling in his veins at the same time. This was way worse than a possible pregnancy. That monster had violated Hermione in a terrible way and now they had to find a way to destroy those pics forever, otherwise she would have been condemned to his threat forever. 

First of all, he tried to make her calm down the best he could, but it was not so easy. She had started crying (his heart broke at the thought of how many times she had cried alone while she was with that piece of shit) and he swore to himself that he’d be able to find the right solution to this mess. He knew it was probably rude to ask, but he could not help himself: “Why didn’t you said anything before? We would’ve helped you.” 

“How, Ron? Trust me, it would’ve been useless! It’s gonna be useless even now!” 

“No, it’s not. You are not alone in this, okay? I don’t know how, but I’m gonna figure out a way in which I can help you. I’m here for you. Until the very end.” And he meant it. 

She tried to smile. “I just don’t understand why you’ve kept silent for so long…” 

“Well, you weren’t talking to me, were you?” she replied. “Plus…I was ashamed. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Ginny…”

“But Herm, she’s your best friend! She would’ve understood, you know that” 

“Yeah, but I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. I still don’t feel comfortable, the only reason I told you is because you took it out from me.” 

“Well I’m sorry” he apologized, “I had no intention of making you uncomfortable. I was just trying to understand why you liked that jerk that much. Now that I know what’s behind it, I really wanna punch him in the face. And run him over with a car. And I wanna see him rotting in prison.”

“That’s what I want to, but… I’m scared of what he’ll do if I go to the police…” 

“Herm, I know you’re scared but believe me, you have to report him. What he did to you was horrible and he must punished! I’m gonna be there with you, the whole time, and support you. But I really, really think you should do this.” 

“I- I don’t know” she stuttered. “Do you promise you’re gonna be there with me?” 

“Yes of course” was the immediate reply.

“Okay” she sighed. “You’re right, I should do this. But…” 

“But what?”

“In this way, Marcus will surely release those pictures…God, I hate him!” she cried. Ron went to hug her and she responded holding him tightly, clenching her fists on his shirt. 

Then, suddenly, he had an epiphany. “Herm, where are those pics?” 

“He sent them to me with some disgusting messages-“ 

“Okay, but where you do think he keeps them? In his phone? In his computer?” 

“Yeah…yeah I mean I think... I once saw his laptop open in the kitchen and noticed there was a folder that I had never seen before…I tried to look into it but of course he caught me, and from that moment on he always brings his laptop with him, so I haven’t been able to do anything. I’m sure he keeps them there.” 

“Then I think we really might be able to get those pics back!” Ron said, feeling more and more confident as the minutes passed. 

“Really?” she asked, uncertain. “How would we do that? Are you able to hack computers or what?” 

“Oh no” he replied, “Hell, I don’t even have a computer.” Again, he felt a little ashamed at his financial situation, but he kept his focus on their mission. 

“So what do we do?” she slightly started to panick again. 

“Please calm down” he said. “Do you remember my older brother, Percy?” 

“Percy? The one who loved maths?” 

“That’s exactly him. He graduated in IT studies last year; me, Ginny and Harry went to the ceremony.” 

“Oh yeah, I remember Ginny telling me…I would have liked to be there.” 

“Yeah” he coughed. “Anyways, he really knows his ways with computers and technology in general and I’m sure if I ask him he’ll be glad to help. What do you say?” 

“I don’t know Ron…” she wasn’t fully convinced. “What if we’re not able to delete the pics? What if Marcus really releases them? Everyone will think I’m easy to sleep with and they’re gonna start calling me names and I-“ 

“Hey, hey, look at me. I promise you we’re gonna get those pics back, I’ll do everything I can and I can assure Percy’s gonna do even the impossible in order to help you. That jerk is gonna rot in prison and you will be free, forever. And most importantly, please remember: you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

She opened her mouth to say something but he didn’t let her talk: “It is not your fault. The only guilty one in this thing is Marcus, ‘cause he committed a crime. That’s it.” 

She sighed, visibly relieved, and thanked him. “So, what do you say? Do we call my brother?” he asked. 

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m still not a hundred percent sure we’ll make it but you’re right, we have to try.” 

“That’s the spirit.”

“And…Even if we won’t get the pics back…I’ll go to the police. Report Marcus. I didn’t have the courage to do it until now but now that I’ve finally talked about it with someone, I think I feel ready.” That was his Hermione. Brave, always doing the right thing. 

“It’s the right choice” he smiled. “Mmh-mhh” she nodded. He gave her another hug and noticed that even though she had proclaimed herself ready, she was still very scared: she was shaking like a leaf.

They hugged for some minutes, Hermione closing her eyes; then Ron took the phone in his hands and dialled a number. “Hello?” “Percy? It’s Ron. I really need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so late, I'm very busy these days! thanks for reading and I hope you like the chapter. ps.: this chapter is kinda boring 'cause I needed to set some details but I guarantee the next one will be more eventful! pps.: we're coming close to the end of the story!


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

They told Percy everything: Ron had asked Hermione if she felt comfortable enough to talk to his brother and she had replied that she did. Talking to others about what had happened to her seemed to help her a little bit, ‘cause the more she spoke the less scared she looked. Ron’s brother was very nice with her, thanking her for trusting him and assuring her that he would have done everything in his power to get the pics back. He told them that he would need a bit of help from them if he was to hack Marcus’s laptop, so they arranged to meet at Ron’s house in a few days, as soon as Percy could free himself from work. He worked as an IT manager for an advertising agency in a city not too far away from where Ron lived (Ron had always been a little jealous of the great job Percy had found).

When they hung up, they looked at each other and for the first time in those days Hermione seemed quite relaxed. Maybe talking to Percy had soothed her or maybe she was just now realizing that she had a tangible chance to get out of the mess she’d been in during the last five years. 

She told Ron that she wanted to talk to Harry and Ginny as well; she needed them all by her side. They immediately agreed and two days later were at Ron’s house, trying to figure out a plan to help their friend.

“Did you hear form Percy, Ron?” Ginny asked her brother. 

“Yeah” he replied, “says he’s gonna be there in three days.” 

“Three days? That’s a lot of time! We need to act now!”

“C’mon Ginny, I’m sure your brother’s doing the best he can” tried Harry. “

Herm, why don’t we start thinking about a way to make it easier for Percy to hack Marcus’s laptop?” 

“Yeah” replied Hermione, “But how are we gonna do it? I don’t know his password or anything that could help us!” 

“Okay then, let’s think about some keywords or dates that are important to him, hopefully we’ll guess what his password is” was Ron’s suggestion. 

“Great idea, Ron” Hermione smiled at him, making him blush a little. 

“Now it really isn’t the right time to let your feelings get in the way, Ron” he told himself, “Get it together.” 

The four of them spent all afternoon trying to figure out the password of the jerk’s laptop based on what Hermione was saying, but the evening arrived and still they got nothing. “God, this is impossible!” Hermione was freaking out. 

“Why can’t Percy be there earlier? I’m just call him right now and tell him to move his ass.” 

“Calm down, Ginny” said both Ron and Harry at the same time, then looking at each other and sharing a smile. Ginny had always been that fierce. 

The next two days passed quickly; they spent all their time working on that damn password, combining numbers, dates and letters but they never seemed to get anywhere… On the second night they'd almost given up. 

“Guys” started Hermione “Thank you for all your help but clearly it’s all useless. I should never have bothered Percy, it’s gonna be a waste of his time and those damn pics are gonna be seen by everybody!”

“Don’t cry” Ginny said to her, getting close to her and giving her a hug. “I know you feel disappointed now, but I’ve promised you that we will find a solution. And I keep my promises.” 

“We all do” declared Harry. 

“Yeah, Herm, that jerk is gonna pay for what he’s done and we’re gonna take him down, even if it’s the last thing we do.” Ron looked her firmly in the eyes as he pronounced these words, as if they were a solemn promise. 

Suddenly they heard a knock on the door and startled: they weren’t expecting Percy until at least the next afternoon and there wasn’t nobody else who would come at Ron’s house for a visit. Ginny came forward and went to open the door. 

“Well, loos like you decided to show up finally!” Percy had just arrived. He waved hello to everybody else in the room, explaining that his boss had given him a chance to leave earlier; so he’d taken the car and sped to Ron’s house. 

“Thank you, Percy” said Hermione. 

“Don’t even mention it” he replied, “now let’s get to work!” They explained that they had spent the past two days looking for Marcus’s password combining numbers and letters but he stopped them right away, stating there was no need for his password. 

“Really?” asked Ron.

“Yeah. Ever heard of Trojan horses?” No one answered to Percy’s question. He then explained that there was some softwares that could be put into computers by some links and which could be used to take control of one’s computer and create or remove any sort of files. 

“That’s great!” beamed Ron, “So now we just send him this link and wait for the software to give us access?” 

“Exactly” confirmed Percy. “But we have to make sure he opens the link, otherwise it won’t work. How do we push him to open the link?”

“I don’t know” sighed Hermione. 

“Maybe try something lacrosse-related? He was the team captain when I was in high school…Does he still play?” Ron asked Hermione. 

“Yes, he does” she replied smiling, “Ron you’re a genius!” She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush once again. Harry noticed it and looked at Ron lightly wiggling his eyebrows, only for his best friend to flip him off when Hermione wasn’t looking. 

They stayed up late writing an email that was gonna convince Marcus to click on the link; they sent it and waited for two hours and a half, but nothing came. Poor Hermione was exhausted: she kept yawning and she could barely keep her eyes open, but she didn’t complain once. It was Ron who suggested her go to sleep and rest a little. 

“Absolutely not” she replied, “I wanna be there and help you guys until the end. You’re doing this for me so I must stay here and give you my help.” 

“C’mon Herm,” said Ginny “You’re exhausted, I can see it. I promise you’ll help us a lot more tomorrow when you’re fresh and well rested.” 

“Yeah” Percy assured. “Don’t worry, Hermione. Plus, for now we cant’ really do anything; we have to wait for him to open the link.” After several minutes, she finally surrendered and went to bed; Ron asked her if she wanted company but she refused, telling him it was best if he kept on helping Percy. He did as she said and stayed up all night with Harry, Ginny and Percy waiting for that moron to fall into their trap. 

He lost track of time: one minute he was looking at Percy’s computer screen and the other he was snoring on the chair, his head rested on the kitchen table. Ginny and Harry had fallen asleep together on the couch; Percy was the only one still awake. 

Next morning, a hand shaking him woke up Ron: it was his brother, who had an expression of utter triumph on his face. Ron felt his heart leap: what if Percy had really accomplished their mission? He was dying to know. 

Percy woke all of them up, including Hermione who had slept in Ron’s bedroom. “So?” asked Ginny. “Any news?” 

The older guy looked them all in the eyes and then smiled widely: “We did it, guys. I gained access, transferred the files to my laptop and deleted them from his. I looked at his cloud where he had made some backup copies, and deleted them too. I also gained access to his phone and made sure everything was cleared there also. Hermione, you are finally free.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with chapter number eight! Hope you like it, see ya next time :)


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Ron couldn’t believe what he had just heard…Of course he’d been hoping for this outcome from the first moment but actually hearing those words made him feel dizzy all of a sudden. He wanted to shout out loud and go hug Hermione, but she didn’t give him time: before he knew, she was in his arms crying and laughing at the same time.

“I can’t believe you did it, Percy!” shouted Ginny, punching his brother in the arm as a sign of approval. 

“Yeah, great job, bro!” said Ron, “Thank you so much”. 

“Percy” Hermione started “I really don’t know how to thank you. I’m…I’m just so overwhelmed right now, you have literally saved my life. You freed me from hell.” 

“I am glad to have done so” was Percy’s reply. 

“Can’t believe we really pulled that off” cried Harry. “Even though…Now that I think about it…Wasn’t what we just did illegal? I mean, technically we broke someone’s privacy and stole some private files…” 

“Whose side are you on, man?” shouted Ron, getting angry. 

“Yeah, Harry, what the hell” Ginny cried, “we did what we had to do! Plus, I think what Marcus did is way worse and way more illegal, so shut up.” 

“I wasn’t defending him!” shouted Harry, getting defensive now. “I just wanted to know if this could have some repercussions on us! Now that Hermione is finally free I don’t want her to have any more trouble!” 

“That makes sense” mumbled Ginny. 

“Yeah, sorry man” apologized Ron. 

“Don’t worry Harry”- now was Percy’s time to talk- “Yeah, what we did was technically illegal but we were defending a friend and searching evidence for revenge porn, which is a crime. So we’re clear.” All of them sighed of relief. “Plus” Ron’s brother went on, “I have a friend who works as a cop in a police precinct in the city where I live so Herm, if your intention is to report Marcus, I could set up a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Yeah” she nodded resolutely; “I want to report him. It’s the right thing to do and now that you deleted the pics from his laptop I actually feel a lot safer. Plus…I don’t want any other girl living the hell I’ve lived these past five years.” She was immediately caught in a four-way hug with Ron, Harry and Ginny. 

The next week, she was in the precinct, with Ron by her side, ready to talk with the officer. She took a deep breath and started confessing him what had happened: “I was fourteen. It was my first year of high school and I only knew Ron and Harry so I wanted to make new friends. I tried to talk to some people during classes, but nobody really liked me…I was a bit of a know-it-all and no one wanted to hang out with me, apart from the two boys. I saw that Harry and Ron were starting to fit in a little and I wanted it to happen to me too. So one night, I heard there was a party at Marcus’s house… He was already the most popular boy in the school and basically everybody was gonna be at his party, so I thought I’d go and try to make some friends there. I now realize it was a stupid thing to do, but I didn’t know it back then…So I went to the party and they immediately started offering me all sort of drinks. I don’t drink much ‘cause I know it can lead to horrible consequences so I only had one drink to loosen up and then…” She stopped, looked at Ron for help and he immediately took her hand and squeezed it. 

“You don’t have to continue if you’re not ready” the officer said, giving her a sweet smile. 

She sighed: “No, I want to do it. I just needed a minute, but now I’m ready.” 

“Whatever makes you comfortable.” 

“So I took this drink and…next thing I knew I was naked in the bedroom and everyone around me was asleep.” 

Ron clenched his fists, feeling his blood boil in his veins once again. 

“I quickly regained my clothes and ran away as fast as I could…That day was hell for me. I didn’t go to school and I spent all afternoon crying and thinking that maybe I did something horrible or somebody had taken advantage of me. I didn’t even remember how I’d fallen asleep..I was certain, I am certain even now, that I only had one drink and that alone couldn’t have caused me to lose my senses.”

“What do you mean? Do you think that someone could have put something else in that drink? Something that knocked you out?” asked the officer. She gulped and nodded. 

Ron squeezed her hand even harder.

“I then spoke to a girl who was in the bedroom with me and she swore to me that nobody had done anything to me…So I relaxed a little, and for a while I almost forgot about it. I mean, nothing had happened and hopefully everyone was either asleep or too drunk to have noticed that I was completely naked…That was, until around five years ago. One day I received some texts from Marcus, where he sent me my pics and told me that if I didn’t agree to date him he would send them to everyone. I don’t know why he chose to blackmail me after almost five years…I had no choice but to do what he wanted.” 

“Maybe that’s just the reason why he waited so long: he made sure you forgot about the pics and that you were feeling safe so that he could destroy you at your must vulnerable state” spitted Ron.

“Yeah, I think your friend’s right” the officer said to Hermione. “Anyways, I’m so sorry that you had to go through this. I promise you we’re gonna do everything to take him down. Do you have evidence of what you have just told me?”

“Yeah” she reached for her phone, where she searched for the texts that Marcus had sent her five years before. She showed them to the officer, who filed the report against the boy and then let her go, assuring her that he would be punished and that she didn’t need to worry anymore. 

When they left the building, Hermione broke out in tears. Ron knew those were probably happy tears, ‘cause she finally felt free and relieved, but it still made his heart ache to see her like that.

“I did it”, she smiled through the tears; “Yeah, you did it!” replied Ron. They hugged for a long time and then broke the hug, both blushing a little. They were joined by Harry and Ginny, who held Hermione in their arms. 

“So it’s over now, huh?” said Ginny, her eyes shining. “I’m so happy for you, Herm, and I can’t wait for that worm to rot in jail!” 

“Hell yeah” cried both Harry and Ron. Hermione laughed quietly. 

They went over to Ron’s house to celebrate: there wasn’t much, but they were too excited and happy to care. 

When the celebration was over, Hermione got closer to Ron and whispered to him, so that only him could listen to her words: “Thank you, Ron, from the bottom of my heart. You’ve helped me with everything even though we aren’t friends anymore and you’ve never left my side, I really appreciate it. You’re incredible.” And she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, making his heart flip in his chest. 

“You’re welcome” he mumbled, going red in the face; “And…I’m sorry, for everything. Sorry that I stopped talking to you only because I didn’t like who you were dating. I was stupid to throw away our friendship over this petty reason; I should’ve come talk to you ‘cause that’s what friend do. I was a really crappy friend and I’m sorry, I hope you can forgive me for that.” 

“Of course I do, Ron” she smiled. “I’m still a little hurt but I realize now that we’ve both made mistakes; plus, the way you helped me in this last period totally makes up for it! So, friends again?” she went on, only for him to nod right away. 

They just smiled and kept looking at each other, their eyes displaying happiness at the thought of their revived friendship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Since you've been so kind to me and my story I decided to give you a little present and update today :) Hope you like the chapter and as always, thanks for reading. ps, another little surprise: the last chapter and the epilogue are gonna come TONIGHT! see you later :)


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

It had been a busy couple of weeks for Ron; three months had passed since he’d had that conversation with Hermione about restoring their friendship, and things were a lot different now.

First of all, he had moved out from the tiny apartment where he had lived with Anette: he hadn’t heard from her since he got her letter and he thought that maybe it was better this way for the both of them. He really hoped she was happy now, with someone who loved her as much as she deserved. Apart from that, his boss had fired him ‘cause he’d taken so many days off at work to help Hermione , so there wasn’t anything left for him there. Harry had asked him to come and live near him and Ginny, where a new apartment had just been put up for rent and he had agreed right away. 

He needed a fresh start; moreover, he would live five minutes away from his sister and his best friend and that could only be good news. Hermione had come with them too: now that she was finally free from that monster, she wanted a break from everything in her past, so moving out of town was the best way to start a new life. So now, three months later, the four of them lived all in the same street, some minutes away from each other; Ron and Hermione lived together because she hadn’t found another place to live nearby, so things for Ron hadn’t been exactly easy. 

His feelings for her were still there, stronger than ever, and spending all this time with her surely didn’t help…But he never said anything to her: he had gained her friendship back and, given the way he had treated her five years before, it was a lot more than he could have expected. He was glad that she was next to him everyday. 

Even though she had been acting a little…different, lately; almost like she’d changed his mind about the two of them. He hadn’t quite put his finger on it: she wasn’t weird or distant, in fact she was the opposite of that…He noticed that she always found an excuse to spend more time with him even when they hung out with Harry and Ginny, and there was always an unusual spark in her eyes whenever she talked to him. 

His heart still kept a flicker of hope that she would fall in love with him, but his head kept on telling him to wake up and get over her. He tried his best to listen to his head, but with very poor results. 

One afternoon, he was sitting in the little garden of their apartment, staring at the flowers there, when she felt her approaching and sitting down next to him. 

“Hey”

“Hey you” 

“Everything okay?” 

“Yeah…You? Are you more relaxed now? Are you still having nightmares about that son of a bitch?” 

She laughed lightly at the epithet he used: “No, no, actually I’m really chill right now. These past three months have been the best in five years” 

“Well I’m really glad it’s this way”

“You are the one who made it possible” 

“Together with Harry and Ginny…and it was actually Percy who did all the work so really I have very little to do with that.” 

“Don’t you dare say that, Ron” she said, “You had everything to do with it. it was you who came up with the idea of calling Percy, it was you who thought of the lacrosse e-mail…You saved the day!” 

“If you say so…” he replied, blushing. 

“I’ve always known you were amazing” she stated, putting her head on his shoulder. 

Then she pulled up, clearing her throat, and started again: “Actually, there is something else I want to talk to you about.” The nervousness in her voice made him think about the worst scenarios.

He immediately asked her: “Is everything okay? Did that monster resurface somehow and give you trouble again? ‘Cause if that’s the case I swear to God I’ll kill hi-

“ “What? No, Ron, nothing of the sort! He’s got nothing to do with it!” 

He visibly relaxed. “Okay, sorry. Go on, tell me everything.”

“It’s about me…Us, actually…”

He started to panic a little, but quickly tried to regain composure. “What is it?” 

“Okay…It’s not very easy for me but I’ll try…”

“I’m listening" he reassured her with a sweet little smile. 

“Uhm-“ she started again- “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve been acting in a slightly different way than I used to…Towards you, I mean.” 

“Really? I don’t know what you mean” –he knew exactly what she meant, but he didn’t wanna reveal anything lest he should be wrong and create a misunderstanding. 

She cleared her throat again: “Well, you know…Like I’m always attached to your hip even when we’re with other people…Or when I ask you to help me whenever I have to go somewhere and run some errands. I don’t actually need help… I only say it ‘cause I like spending time with you. A lot.” 

Oh, wow. Could this be the moment he’d been hoping for? No, it was too good to be true. She was just trying to make up for all the time they’d lost fighting, that was it. He put his hopes down, for the hundredth time. 

“Well” he replied, “It’s pretty normal, isn’it? I mean, we’re best friends again so I’d say there’s nothing weird about you wanting to spend time with me.” He really hoped that his words weren’t true… 

“No, Ron, I don’t wanna just spend some time with you” -she looked him in the eyes- “I want to spend every single moment with you.” 

Oh, dear God.

“And I don’t wanna do just that” she went on, “I wanna do so much more. I wanna hold hands with you; go on long walks with you; fall asleep and wake up every day next to you.” Her voice was lightly shaking now. 

“So what you are trying to say is that-“

“I am in love with you, Ronald Weasley.” 

He couldn’t believe it. It happened. The girl whom he had been in love with for the last five years, the love of his life, had said she loved him back. He was the happiest man on Earth: his head was spinning and the thumping in his chest was as loud as ever. He had to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. 

“Say it again” he asked her. “Please” he begged. 

“I am in love with you, Ron” she whispered, waiting for a response from him. 

But he didn’t say anything: he cupped Hermione’s face in his hands and put his lips on her, giving her a kiss full of longing and love. When they broke the kiss, they were both smiling widely and their foreheads were touching. 

“I am in love with you too, Herm” he finally confessed. “I am so in love with you my heart could explode.” They kissed again. “I’ve been in love with you since high school and I still can’t believe this is happening.” 

“Really? For all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I never thought you’d be interested in me and I didn’t wanna ruin our friendship… Turns out I ruined it all the same by acting like a child.” 

“Is that the reason you stopped talking to me? You were jealous ‘cause you were in love with me?” 

“Yeah” he admitted, blushing, “seeing you with someone else was too much for me so I tried to stay away from you as much as possible… But obviously, it was useless. I never stopped thinking about you, even for a day.” 

She gave him a little peck on the lips. “Oh, Ron…I’m sorry that you’ve suffered so much because of me…” 

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault.”

“Well, I’m sorry all the same…” he only smiled. 

Then she asked: “When…I mean, when did you realize you had feelings for me?” 

“I told you, we were in high school. As the time passed, my affection for you grew more and more. If you wanna know the exact moment in which I knew, it was at the end of our last year. It hit me that high school was ending and that we all would inevitably grow apart in some way, and I found myself desperate at the thought of not having you with me every day. That is when I realized, you were the one for me.” 

She was crying, moved by his words. He wiped away her tears with his hands and asked: “What about you? When did you realize?”

“I think it was some months ago” she replied, “after you helped me with everything that happened and we became friends again, I realized how much I’d miss you. And these last three months, spending all this time together and just hanging out and laughing together, made me understand how great you are. You always make me feel safe, you make me laugh, but most of all you always make me feel myself. With you, I can always be completely who I am, every time, and I this is what made me fall in love with you.” 

“I can’t believe I’m finally hearing you saying these words” he laughed sweetly; “well you better get ready, ‘cause from now on you’ll be hearing them a lot” she joked. 

And then, just as she’d promised: “I love you, Ron.”

“I love you, Hermione.” 

They kissed again and again, none of them wanting to let go of the other. 

EPILOGUE

“Ron! C’mon hurry up or we’re gonna be late!”

“Coming, darling!” He grabbed his wallet and joined her in the kitchen, when she was impatiently waiting for him. 

“Hurry up, please, love, we cannot be late!” 

“It’s all alright, Herm, I’m ready! Let’s go!” They left their apartment and hurried up in their car. 

Two years after their love confession, everything was going better than ever: they were at their happiest in their relationship and they had also found jobs which granted them quite a good economic situation, something that Ron had desired for a long time. They’d bought a new car and their apartment had all the comforts, even though they always saved the majority of their money in case of an emergency.

When they arrived at the church, a crowd of people was already there. Harry’s parents, Ron and Ginny’s brothers, Hermione’s parents and some others, all were gathered waiting for the bride and the groom to arrive. 

It was Harry and Ginny’s wedding day, and Ron couldn’t have been happier for his sister and his best friend. When Harry had asked him to be his best man, he’d almost screamed for the joy.

“Of course I’ll be your best man, Harry! I would love to! Thanks for asking me, you really made me happy.”

And Hermione, of course, was Ginny’s maid of honour. They entered the church and sat down next to Harry’s parents, waiting for their friends. 

Ginny was beautiful in her white dress: she looked like a fierce but elegant goddess, with her red hair coming down on her shoulders; and Harry looked as amazing as her, wearing a gray suit with a green tie that matched his eyes. 

The ceremony was amazing: the spouses were joyful and sweet, and their vows made everybody cry; the flowers were colourful and smelled heavenly and overall everybody had a wonderful time. 

That night, when she and Ron were coming back to their apartment after the party, Hermione started to feel a little dizzy. She felt nauseous and had to stop walking and hold herself onto Ron for a moment.

He looked at her, slightly worried, and asked: “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, don’t worry…Maybe it’s because I ate a little too much at the party.” 

“I don’t know…Maybe we should go to the doctor? It’s not the first time that you’ve felt nauseous these past two months…JLet's go, just to make sure everything’s okay.” 

“Fine” she agreed, and they decided to go to the doctor the next morning. 

They arrived and she greeted them sweetly: “Hermione, Ron, I haven’t seen you in a long time! Everything alright, darlings?” It was the doctor who had helped Hermione figure out she wasn’t pregnant, almost a year before, and they’d been in touch ever since. 

They described her Hermione’s symptoms and then she said to the girl: “Come with me”, leaving Ron waiting in the other room.

After a while, they resurfaced; they both had funny looks on their faces, like they were hiding something from him and couldn’t wait to confess everything.

“So?” he asked, “Any news?” 

The doctor looked at Hermione with a smile and nodded: the girl sat next to Ron and took both his hands in his. She looked him in the eyes, sparkling with joy, and told him: “It appears I’m pregnant. For real this time.” 

He smiled widely and kissed her, his heart almost exploding with happiness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here are the last chapter and the epilogue. again, I wanna thank you guys for bearing with me through all this story. thank you for leaving comments, kudos or simply reading it, you don't know how much it means to me. Hope you like the ending of this story and remember: both Ron and Hermione are amazing and they're soulmates! anyways back to the story, enjoy the happy ending! see you soon :)


End file.
